Wrist watch regulator



Jan. 21, 1947. s uT'n 2,414,618

WRIST WATCH REGULATOR Filed June 19, 1944 I. I 8 I INVENTOR. FRANK SUTTIN aud M A'dATTQRNEY Patented Jan. 21, 1947 Y L ,1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WRIST WATCH REGULATOR Frank Suttin, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 19, 1944, Serial No. 541,082

5 Claims.

This invention relates to adjusting means for the regulators of watches, and is particularly useful when applied to the regulators of diminutive watches such as ladies wrist watches.

The regulator itself consists of a small pivoted pointer on the regulator plate, the point of which is movable along a scale. Movement in one direction accelerates the watch movement, and in the other retards it.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide adjusting means for engaging the tip of the regulator, that will enable a micrometer effect to be attained when making a regulator adjustment, that is to say, to enable very minute or nice adjustments to be made; and to accomplish this without increasing substantially the amount of space occupied by the regulator adjusting mechanism above or beyond the face of the regulator plate, on which this mechanism is mounted- This enables this regulator to be used in very thin watches.

The invention involves the use of a threaded bar or adjusting screw along which a traveller or nut is moved in effecting an adjustment of the regulator, and one of the objects of this invention is to provide a mounting for this adjusting bar that will operate to hold it quite close to the face of the regulator'plate.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts, to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficient wrist watch regulator.

"A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig; 1 is a plan view of a regulator plate illustrating a regulator provided with adjusting means embodying my invention.

1 Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the plate and regulator, but showing the nut, the adjusting bar and its mounting in section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section through the body of a bracket that I prefer to employ, and showing one of the ears or supports for the adjusting bar. This section is taken about in the plane of the line 3--3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an end view of the bracket shown in Fig. 3, showing the preferred form of the other end of the bracket.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the supporting bracket.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation illustrating a modified embodiment and mounting for the ears that support the adjusting bar.

Referring to the parts, the regulator I is illustrated as mounted in the upper face of the regulator plate 2 in the usual manner and its tip 3 sweeps along a scale 4 attached or formed on the face of the plate. In doing so it swings about its pivot 5 that attaches it to the plate.

In applying my invention, I provide bracket means preferably comprising a frame bar 6, attached by any suitable means such as with screws 1, and provided at its ends with integral ears 8 and 9. .3

The ears 8 and 9 afford means for holding the adjusting bar or screw [0 in postion adjacent to the face of the plate. In order to accomplish this I provide sockets in the two ears. One or both of these sockets are in the form of an open socket or notch II, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

In order to hold the projection of the parts to as low a level as possible above the face of the plate the ears project laterally from the framebar 6. This enables the nut l2 that rides on the bar to lie directly on the face of the plate instead of lying on the face of the frame-bar 6.

In the present instance I have illustrated the ear 8 as provided with a socket 13 of round form to receive the end of the adjusting bar, and at this point the adjusting bar may have its diameter reduced to form a pintle l4 that fits loosely in the round socket l3.

At its other end the adjusting bar It] is formed with a neck l5 of reduced diameter, that, fits into its socket ll, and thereby a shoulder i6 is formed to engagethe inner face of the ear 9. This shoulder cooperates with a corresponding shoulder ll seating against the ear 8 to prevent the adjusting bar from shifting longitudinally in the ears.

An end; of the adjusting bar or screw l0 may be'provided witha head such as a screw head l8 for enabling the bar to be rotated to move the nut to or fro. The side of this nut adjacent to pivot 5 has a driving connection to the regulator. This connection is constructed so that movement can be imparted through it in either direction at all times, and preferably consists of a notch I 9 the side faces of which have the involute form employed in forming a rack tooth, so that this notch becomes virtually a tooth space, and the tip of th regulator is formed. with a head 20, with involute curved side faces to engage the side faces of the notch like a tooth of a gear meshes with the teeth of a rack. By reason of j, pletely remove the framebar'.

this correlated form of the head 20 and the faces of the notch IS an effective contact is maintained between th regulator and the driving nut throughout a sufficient distance along the screw H! to insure that sufiicient adjusting movement can be accomplished to meet all requirements in regulating the watch.

It is not essential to my invention to employ the frame bar 5 to connect the ears 8 and 9. If desired theears niay b'e made as separate pieces (see Fig. 6) in which one of the ears 8a is illustrated as being made of a small angle form clip with a shoulder 81? to engage the edge of the plate 2a to assist in properly aligning this car. A'si'n' gle fastening, such as the screw 80 may be ent ployed for securing the ear to the plate; The" opposite ear would. be attached to the plate la in a similar manner.

However, it is highly advantageous to employ the frame bar 6, and in providing the ears 8 and 9 so that they extend laterally from the frame bar, This not only enables the regulator screw to be rotatably supported nearer to the upper rape of the regulator plate 2, but it also facilitates removal and replacement of the adjusting screw l without necessitatin complete removal of the frame bar 6 to do this. This facility arises from the fact that the bearing I! not only is inthe form of a socket open on its side toward the plate, but (as indicated clearly in Figure 4) the wall of this socket on the side remote from the frame bar does not extend all the Way down to the face of the plate. In this way a gap is formed under this wall through which the reduced n'eck I on the adjusting screw can be shoved laterally into or out of position, in other Words, by loos ening up the'fastening I the "regulator screw'can be removed or replaced withouthavi'ng to com- 7 Furthermore, by having the fastening screws 1 out of line with the adjusting screw in the completed construction it is possible to enlarge the gap referred'to by tilting the frame bar so that theouter ends of the 1. In a regulator adjustmentlforia tc Such. Wr s i hlth c mbination Q a regulator plate, a regulator with a pivot on said plate and lying substantially against the face of said plate, a nut lying on said plate and having a threaded opening therethrough; an adjusting screw passing through saidnut and engaging in said threaded opening; bracket means supportedoh the plate and supporting the said screw; and

w re: c i ee f -i g t g said nut and t p. of said "regulator including involute surfaces on the nut and regulator maintaining contact for imparting movement from the nut to the regulator in either direction at all times, located on the side of the nut that lies adjacent to said pivot.

2. A regulator according to claim 1 in which the said driving connection includes a socket in the side of the nut receiving the tip of said regulator.

3 In a regulator adjustment for a diminutive watch such as a wrist watch, the combination of a regulator plate, a regulator with a pivot on said plate and lying substantially against the face of said plate; a nut lying on said plate and having to said pivot.

a threaded opening therethrough; an adjusting screw passing through said nut and engaging in said threaded opening; a bracket having a frame bar lying on the regulator plate and having an ear projecting laterally from the same at each end, one of said ears having a circular bearing for receiving the end of the adjusting screw, and the otherear having a socket opening toward the plate, the wall of said socket on the side remote from the frame barterminating short of the face of the regulator plate, so as to leave a gap between it and the face of the plate; and fastening means including a screw passing through the frame bar to secure the same on the regulator plate, said adjusting screw having a neck of reduced diameter facilitating its passing into line with said socket by a lateral movement through said gap' and under the last named ear from the side opposite to said fram bar.

4. In a regulator adjustment for a diminutive watch such as a wrist watch, the combination of a regulator plate, a regulator with a pivot'on said plate and lying substantially against the'faceof said plate, a nut lying directly against the outer face of said plate; and having. a; threaded socket therethrough, an adjusting screw having threads engaging the threads in said socket, bracket means having a frame bar lying'on the outer face of the regulator plate, fastening means passing down through the bar for securing the same to the regulator plate, said frame bar having laterally extendingears thereon, having bearings for supporting said regulator screw, saidbearings' including a bearing opening on the under side toward the regulator plate. 7 H

5. In a regulator, adjustment for a diminutive watch such as a wrist watch, the combination ,of a regulator plate, a regulator with a pivot on said plate andlying substantiall against the face of said plate; a nut lying on saidplate and havinga threaded opening therethrough; anadjusting screw Pas n r u h ai nut an e a ng i s d th ead dqne in l ketim an s suppo ted; on the plate andsupporting thesaid screw; and a driving connection between saidjnllflfind the tip of said regulator, including an'involute surc Beth i l e pr.wq e t iia it e nu for maintaining contact with the safne to impart movement from the nut to'the rgul'ator in either direction at all times, ,said driving connection located on the side Ofth nut that lies adjacent FRANK sUTTIN'. 

